fl studio 6/external midi controllers to vsti?

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I've tried this with both the vsti version and the stand alone version. I'm trying to send midi controllers (from a hardware sequencer using the stand alone version) and from Bidule with fl studio as vsti - into fl studio and to the vsti I have set up.

I know that fl studio is recognizing the controllers because I can automate its own controls with it. But I cannot for the life of me figure out how to pass them through to the vsti. I'm not an experienced user - I gave up on version 5 when I encountered too many (admitted by Image Line) bugs in the vsti version...

There must be a way to do this. This program can't be this lame, can it?

Please - no suggestions about using other apps, or asking me why I'm setting up the programs in this way, etc. I just want to know how to do this. Thanks.

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try moving the knob, switch...whatever on the vsti and then up in the upper left corner of the wrapper open the dropdown menu that should have "last parameter tweaked" "link to controller" when you select that you will get a dialog box, just move the knob you wish to assign to it on your hardware...this should work, though I'm not sure with your version...the other way would be to use the midi implementation chart for the vsti if available and make a dashboard or midi out preset and use link to controller...:)
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.

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Hink wrote:try moving the knob, switch...whatever on the vsti and then up in the upper left corner of the wrapper open the dropdown menu that should have "last parameter tweaked" "link to controller" when you select that you will get a dialog box, just move the knob you wish to assign to it on your hardware...this should work, though I'm not sure with your version...the other way would be to use the midi implementation chart for the vsti if available and make a dashboard or midi out preset and use link to controller...:)
That sounds crazy?! The mappings have already been set up in the synths. If I'm passing through channel one to the synth, why does fl studio by default filter out the controllers!? This is version 6, so I presume this should be working better here?

Well - I just tested this, and it doesn't work. It's really pretty simple. The synth is already set up. All fl studio has to do is send on the controllers and the mapping is already taken care of.

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What do you mean, the synth is already set up? FL will only pass through those parameters that have been assigned, no more, no less.

Which VSTi and which parameter are you trying to control?

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arke wrote:What do you mean, the synth is already set up? FL will only pass through those parameters that have been assigned, no more, no less.

Which VSTi and which parameter are you trying to control?
? What does fl studio know of what the vsti has defined within it? It wouldn't know shit about what I had defined within the vsti patch. How would it know, for example, that I may have set ctrl # 1 to modulate THIS parameter in the synth. It shouldn't care. It should pass through ALL midi to the the instrument unless instructed otherwise. I am getting a bit concerned that people don't even seem to understand the issue...why should it filter out the midi that I am trying to send to the synth?

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Other programs will do this but FL doesn't. The reason is because its easier that way ... what if you still think you're set on one synth, recording a knob tweak but you're actually recording something else? That's bad. And what if you wnat to record tweaking more than one at the same time?

Tweak the parameter with the mouse, and if the synth allows MIDI CC passing to that parameter, you can link it to your controller via "last tweaked parameter".

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By default, FLStudio intercepts MIDI controllers so that it can offer MIDI controller to VSTI parameter automation (the "link to controller" facility).

If this "gets in the way", what I do is insert a "MIDI Out" generator, set its port to an unused port number. Then I insert the VSTI I want and set it to use the corresponding port. The MIDI controllers that got intercepted will go through this way. I also use MIDI out generators for channel 2-16 of multitimbral synths (B4, samplers) in FLStudio.

Doug
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arke wrote:Other programs will do this but FL doesn't. The reason is because its easier that way ... what if you still think you're set on one synth, recording a knob tweak but you're actually recording something else? That's bad. And what if you wnat to record tweaking more than one at the same time?

Tweak the parameter with the mouse, and if the synth allows MIDI CC passing to that parameter, you can link it to your controller via "last tweaked parameter".
Sorry - I don't accept the argument that blocking a capability that is useful makes things easier at all. In this case using the list of parameters isn't optimal. And this doesn't allow you to save a patch with the routings that can be opened in another program, does it?

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dougsyo wrote:By default, FLStudio intercepts MIDI controllers so that it can offer MIDI controller to VSTI parameter automation (the "link to controller" facility).

If this "gets in the way", what I do is insert a "MIDI Out" generator, set its port to an unused port number. Then I insert the VSTI I want and set it to use the corresponding port. The MIDI controllers that got intercepted will go through this way. I also use MIDI out generators for channel 2-16 of multitimbral synths (B4, samplers) in FLStudio.

Doug
hmmm - I'll mess around with this and see if I can get it to work. Thanks.

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droolmaster0 wrote:
dougsyo wrote:By default, FLStudio intercepts MIDI controllers so that it can offer MIDI controller to VSTI parameter automation (the "link to controller" facility).

If this "gets in the way", what I do is insert a "MIDI Out" generator, set its port to an unused port number. Then I insert the VSTI I want and set it to use the corresponding port. The MIDI controllers that got intercepted will go through this way. I also use MIDI out generators for channel 2-16 of multitimbral synths (B4, samplers) in FLStudio.

Doug
hmmm - I'll mess around with this and see if I can get it to work. Thanks.
I couldn't get this to work at all. I'm not that familiar with fl studio yet...but it seems like you're saying to put, say, a midi out instrument on track 1, which I did. I then set it to port 0 and channel 2, so that the synth on track 2 would get the messages? But I got nothing. I guess I don't understand this routing yet.

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dude, under options have you enabled "enable MIDI remote control"?
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.

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Hink wrote:dude, under options have you enabled "enable MIDI remote control"?
Yes.

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droolmaster0 wrote:
Hink wrote:dude, under options have you enabled "enable MIDI remote control"?
Yes.
okay just wanted to cover every base...you also have it asssigned in midi options correct?
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.

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droolmaster0 wrote:
droolmaster0 wrote:
dougsyo wrote:By default, FLStudio intercepts MIDI controllers so that it can offer MIDI controller to VSTI parameter automation (the "link to controller" facility).

If this "gets in the way", what I do is insert a "MIDI Out" generator, set its port to an unused port number. Then I insert the VSTI I want and set it to use the corresponding port. The MIDI controllers that got intercepted will go through this way. I also use MIDI out generators for channel 2-16 of multitimbral synths (B4, samplers) in FLStudio.

Doug
hmmm - I'll mess around with this and see if I can get it to work. Thanks.
I couldn't get this to work at all. I'm not that familiar with fl studio yet...but it seems like you're saying to put, say, a midi out instrument on track 1, which I did. I then set it to port 0 and channel 2, so that the synth on track 2 would get the messages? But I got nothing. I guess I don't understand this routing yet.
I don't know what you mean by "track 1" or "track 2", but here's an explanation:

Every VSTi has a "Port" number in the upper right of its window - this is the MIDI Port that it will receive on. You don't need to bother with any of this unless you are using multi-timbral instruments or you want to send MIDI CC's.

So MIDI Out sends MIDI data along a certain port - set the VSTi's port to the same number as the output port on the MIDI Out, so that they will connect - the channel should generally be 1, since most VSTi's accept on channel 1.

Any of the knobs/sliders on the MIDI Out generator (all synths/things that show up and have a step sequencer/piano roll next to them are called generators) can be mapped to output CC's, SysEx, and NRPN, if I remember correctly. Obviously you take any given knob from the MIDI Out's knob bank, right click it, select Configure... and set its Name, CC#, and whatever else is on that dialog. Now, the final step: right click the knob and select "Link to Controller". Now you can just use your MIDI Controller to send data on the correct CC (so, move your mod wheel, if you want the knob to respond to CC #1), and the Link to Controller will pick it up and map it so the knob follows the CC.

So, CC -> Knob -> VSTi.

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Hink wrote:
droolmaster0 wrote:
Hink wrote:dude, under options have you enabled "enable MIDI remote control"?
Yes.
okay just wanted to cover every base...you also have it asssigned in midi options correct?
I'm not sure what you mean. The hardware sequencer CAN'T be assigned because I'm using the port in the host (Bidule). But that is irrelevant, since the note information IS reaching fl studio successfully through the host? So I've lost you on this one. What exactly are you getting at, and what is the reasoning?

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